November Intentions: Finishing 2017 with Your Word of the Year

I’ve been writing down monthly intentions or goals to help me focus in on what is important. Many of the things listed are daily habits I’m seeking to maintain or grow in. The goal is not to obtain perfection, but to make steady progress…and months when there isn’t any progress, to give myself grace and start again the next month. That is my hope for you too as you strive to implement daily/weekly/monthly habits. Here are my November intentions.

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Recap of Intentions in October

Things that went well in October:

my morning routine continued to go well in October.

making my bed, meal planning, and intentional movement. I’m happy to say that I think these three things have become a daily and weekly habit after months and months of setting intentions to do them. It now feels strange NOT to do them.

I did declutter the storage closet. I realized that there’s a huge suitcase in there that someone gave me years ago but we will never use. We usually like to do individual carry ons when we travel, so that can be donated! There was also an older queen size bed frame that we’ve been storing and don’t need anymore. Those two things alone freed up a lot of precious space.

Writing one blog post a week in October.

I’m doing a weekly Facebook Live series on our decluttering process in the basement. Follow along here.

Things that were more challenging:

writing 500 words 3 times a week.

budgeting in You Need a Budget and meeting weekly with my husband. I’m still tracking my expenses in my planner, but not necessarily doing anything with those numbers! We’ve gone back and forth from YNAB to EveryDollar. Right now we’re trying EveryDollar again.

I haven’t made much progress in planning family chores as regular routines. Ideally I would like my two older sons to plan and make one family dinner a week and take on a few more household chores. We’ve been focused on the high school admission process for my middle son the past two months. This will be one of my family projects for November.

Your Word for 2017

Joy. Spark Joy.

Those were my words for 2017.

As 2017 draws to a close (how is that possible!) I’m suddenly aware that in the second half of 2017 I haven’t been as focused on my word. My actions and decisions haven’t been as directed by my desire for joy.

At the start of 2017 I wrote:

In 2017 I want to make decisions through the lens of joy.

In 2017 I want to do things that spark joy in me.

In 2017 I want to spark joy in other people around me.

Did I live my word in 2017? The first half of the year I was focused on growing in awareness of what brings me joy. The second half of the year has been full of logistics with back to school details and high school admission processes.

However, since there are still two more months in 2017, I want to refocus on joy and sparking joy.

I’ve been participating in a 2018 Planathon and the idea of picking a new word for 2018 was brought up. My first reaction was, “Wait! There are still two whole months left of 2017!”

I don’t want to let these last two months of 2017 pass by without keeping the focus on joy. While I’m thinking ahead to 2018, I also want to be asking myself, “How are you sparking joy in your life today, Angela? How are you sparking joy in the lives around you today?”

I went shopping yesterday and saw the fresh flowers by the entrance. I remembered that fresh flowers sparks joy, so I bought a small bouquet. They’re in front of me now and when I look at them, they make me smile.

HOUSEHOLD:

Work at least 15 minutes in the basement (with or without) hubby on Sunday evenings when I put in a load of laundry.

Establishing family chores as routines versus sporadic assignments.

Budget and track daily expenses with the EveryDollar app. Meet weekly with my husband, and talk about money as well as business and home stuff for the upcoming week.

Click the image for more information!

WRITING & BLOGGING:

Elite Blog Academy (EBA) has been my main blogging course that I’ve been going through all year. It’s been instrumental in giving me direction and guidance every step of the way.

EBA only goes on sale once a year. If you’re interested in starting or refining your blog, the EBA Blog Structure Blueprintis a must have! You can download it immediately when you sign up for the wait list HERE.

Post at least once a week on my blog for November

Continue weekly FB live videos on Fridays on the decluttering process in the basement.

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About Angela

Wife. Mom to three boys. Writer. Reader. Aspiring Minimalist. Lover of chocolate and fitness. She loves blogging about the ways she is finding success in simplifying life one step at a time. Her mantra is "Progress, not Perfection."

Wow you are super organised and super motivated! I need to check out your hand lettering post! I love that you’ve decided to see friends more as one of your goals – with Christmas coming up, you should have that one covered easily I reckon! Thanks for linking to #DreamTeam!

Hi Mrs. Lighty! Yes, I’m looking forward to seeing family AND friends during the holidays. It’s amazing how easy it is to live in the same city but never see each other.

How to Start Making Changes in 5 Important Areas

Hi Friend! I’m Angela

Welcome to my blog where I write about simplifying life in small, manageable steps and creating healthy habits. You'll find inspiration, practical tips and community here for the decluttering you're doing in your own life. (whether that's physical, mental, or emotional clutter) Thanks so much for stopping by! Read More…

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